• Unlimited trades for qualifying clubs and two commission-free trades for individuals with Folio Investing

• Member discounts on books, tools, software, events and resources

• Discounts at OfficeMax stores nationwide

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-10 17:00

What is the BetterInvesting refund policy?

Membership & Online Tools Subscription: If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your membership and/or online tools subscription, you can cancel at any time. If you cancel within the first 30-day free trial period, your credit card will not be charged and you pay absolutely nothing. Cancellation requests received after 30 days can be made at any time. There are no refunds or credits for partial subscription periods. All cancellation requests must be made through Member Services at 877-275-6242 or service@betterinvesting.org.

Monthly membership and/or online tools subscriptions cancelled and reactivated during any 12-month period are subject to a $50 reactivation fee.

Books & Publications: All books and publications must be returned or cancelled within 30 days. We will refund the purchase price. Original shipping fees are nonrefundable.

Data Services: The Stock Data Service is cancelable at anytime. No refunds or credits for partial subscription periods

Software: Unopened software may be returned within 15 days of the date shipped for a full refund (less shipping & handling). Orders returned after 15 days (but within 30 days) of the date shipped will be subject to a 15% restocking fee. Return instructions are included on the packaging slip enclosed with your software.

Opened software or software purchased more than 30 days may not be returned.

Events No refunds are issued for webinars. Recordings are made available for 1 week after the live event for review by all paid registrants.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-03 04:52

What are the BetterInvesting principles?

The BetterInvesting approach is built on four investment principles — a foundation that has withstood the tests of time, market fluctuation and economic change. The four principles are:>

• Invest a set amount regularly.

• Reinvest earnings, dividends and profits.

• Invest in quality growth stocks and equity mutual funds.

• Diversify your investments.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-03 00:13

How long does it take to process my membership?

Online orders purchased with a credit card receive immediate website access. Orders taken over the phone or received via mail are processed daily and website access is available the same or next day. Please allow ten business days for mail orders.

What is the BetterInvesting Volunteer Advisory Board (BIVA)?

Members of the BetterInvesting Volunteer Advisory Board provide leadership, support and expertise for 1,000 BetterInvesting volunteers who serve BetterInvesting clubs and individual members nationwide.

Chair Carol Theine – Puget Sound Chapter

President Susan Tampasis – Heart of Illinois Chapter

Treasurer William Peterson – Phoenix Chapter

Secretary Patrick Donnelly – Pittsburgh Chapter

Directors

Diane Amendt – Southeastern Michigan Chapter

Kim Butcher – Evansville Tri-State Chapter

Len Douglass – Southeastern Michigan Chapter

Henry Gold – San Francisco Chapter

Deane Jaeger – Wisconsin Chapter

Joan Loken – Rocky Mountain Chapter

Suzanne McNealy – Sacramento Area Chapter

Joe Parks – Houston Chapter

Christi Powell – Heart of Oklahoma Chapter

Sue Spurlin – Chicagoland Chapter

Associate Directors

Diane Ellison – Puget Sound Chapter

Bobbie Kincaid – Heart of Illinois Chapter

Mary Ann Rentsch – Northeast Ohio Chapter

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-06-21 13:51

When I try to log in to the website I receive a "click here" message that says I do not have access to this service. What do I do?

When attempting to log into the website you may receive the following message:

You do not have access to this service. To include this service as part of your membership, click here or contact a Member Service Representative at 1-877-275-6242.

If you receive this message select the "click here" option and you will be directed to the appropriate part of the website you were trying to reach. If you are still unable to move forward on the website please contact a Member Services Representative to assist you.

Also, to help make the process as seamless and easy as possible, many BetterInvesting chapters across the country have established model clubs. These model clubs follow the investing principles and club management guidelines of BetterInvesting and can be a great source of guidance when starting a club of your own.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-06-29 13:03

What are the advantages of an investment club?

A club provides the opportunity for its members to share the load and pool their knowledge to learn more — with less time and effort — than they can on their own. Clubs are an excellent way to stay focused, gain experience and accelerate investment learning. Social interaction with like-minded members also adds an important and enjoyable dimension to the club experience. New investors find that a club provides a safe and supportive environment to learn the basics of investing, while experienced investors gain an opportunity to sharpen investing skills.

All club members benefit in added buying power through a shared portfolio that enables the club to invest in stocks that an individual may not be able to afford on their own and quickly build a diversified portfolio.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-03 00:22

What is an investment club?

A traditional investment club is a small group of individual investors who come together to learn, share investing experiences and help each other become more successful investors. At group meetings, usually held monthly, members pool their investment dollars, review studies of stocks presented by club members and select one or more stocks to buy, based on BetterInvesting's unique investment methodology.

An alternative approach to the traditional club is a self-directed investment club. Just like traditional clubs, self-directed investment clubs meet regularly and share analysis, insight and information in pursuit of investment opportunities. The difference is that after investment decisions are made, club members invest through their own accounts.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-03 00:25

How do I replace a member that exists on the club roster?

You can replace a member that exists on the club roster by submitting an email to service@betterinvesting.org. Please include the club name, club number, new member's name, address, phone and email and the member leaving name, address, phone and email. The new member will start receiving the BetterInvesting magazine that was previously being mailed to the member that is no longer in the club.

Author: Treava DildineLast update: 2013-08-28 09:33

Where can I find a copy of the Investment Club Annual Verification Report?

Members can reach the Investment Club Annual Verification Report by clicking the Clubs tab near the top of the BetterInvesting.org page, then the Club Development heading on the left hand side of the page. Under the Club Development heading, click on Documents and Forms.

Alternately, clicking the link below will take you directly to the page:

How do I change the club contact for the group?

Club contact changes must be made in writing. You may send an email or a physical letter indicating that the club contact has changed for your group. Please include the name, address, phone and email address of the new contact, as well as your BetterInvesting club number. The club number is located on the BetterInvesting magazine and starts with the following characters - C00.. . .

How do I sign up for the SSGPlus tools?

If you are not automatically signed in when you go to http://www.betterinvesting.org, make sure to click the Member Login button, then fill in your login and password.

Once you are signed in, click the blue Store tab located near the top of the page. If you are signed in, it will be the first tab on the left. From the store page, click Online Tools, along the left hand side. The SSGPlus upgrade is listed as Plus Upgrade - includes the new SSGPlus App. Below the details of the Plus Upgrade will be a drop-down menu showing subscription options. There are four options; depending on if you are currently a member of BetterInvesting as an individual, or through a club, and if you would like to subscribe for a year, or a month at a time. Choose the option you would like, and then click Add to cart to continue with the purchase.

What does the Fidelity Bond Insurance cover/include?

The Fidelity bond covers theft of club funds by a BetterInvesting dues paying member of the club.

There does not need to be a conviction for the insurance company to pay the claim. The club only needs to prove to the insurance company that the funds are stolen for the insurance company to proceed with prosecution of the case.

Why do clubs need a contact person listed for the investment club?

The club contact is the liaison between BetterInvesting, and your investment club. They are responsible for adding or removing members from BetterInvesting's listing of your club roster, and are the only one that receives a mailed copy of the club's annual renewal notice.

Online Stock Tools

Where does the company data come from?

BetterInvesting’s Stock Data is a database of company data from Morningstar's Global Equity Data division. This database is updated daily and includes financial data from active companies trading on the NYSE, Nasdaq, AMEX, ARCA, Toronto and Toronto Venture exchanges. Currently, there are in excess of 8300 companies provided in the data source.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-11-28 16:35

What is the source of the analyst estimate data?

The analyst estimate data for sales and earnings is provided in the form of consensus estimates and is provided by Morningstar. The number of analysts providing estimates for a particular ticker varies according to the size and popularity of the company. For example, larger company estimates may be an aggregate of estimates from up to 10 analysts whereas a smaller company may be only covered by 1 or 2 analysts.

Estimates are provided for approximately 3000 companies out of the nearly 8000 companies in the database. Not all companies will have both sales and earnings estimates.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 13:54

How often are prices updated in the Online Stock Selection Guide?

The prices in the Online Stock Selection Guide are updated daily based upon the previous trading day's closing price.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-01 23:58

What is the difference between Basic and Enhanced mode?

With the upgrade to the tools that launched September 9, 2015, the CoreSSG was reconfigured and repositioned for users who are new to the BetterInvesting methodology. CoreSSG no longer has a 'Basic' and 'Enhanced' mode. The 'Preferred Procedure' functionality, additional low price options are Projected Average Return (PAR) value are available in the SSGPlus tool. Preferred Procedure worksheet can be viewed in the SSGPlus when you click the green box to estimate Earnings Per Share.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:07

What classification system is used to determine sectors, industries and peers?

Companies are classified according to Morningstar's Global Equity Classification System. This system contains 11 major sectors and has 148 associated industries. More information on this system can be found at

What is the difference between a sector, industry and peer group?

A sector is the second level grouping of the Morningstar system.

An industry is the bottom level grouping of the Morningstar system. There are 148 industry groups.

A peer group is a group of similarly sized companies within a single industry group. The size groupings follow BetterInvesting’s recommendations for size breakdown: a Small company has annual sales of less than 1 Billion dollars, a Medium company has annual sales greater than or equal to 1 Billion dollars and less than 10 Billion dollars, a Large company has annual sales greater than 10 Billion dollars.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:56

How do we determine the top 3 peers displayed with the company under study?

The top 3 peers are determined by calculating the 10 year earnings per share (EPS) growth rate for each company within the peer group. The companies are then ranked in descending order by EPS growth rate. We display the top 3 companies in the peer group with the highest EPS growth rates. This set of companies is then shown on every page in order to provide a consistent set of comparison companies.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:04

How are the Industry and Peer Group Averages derived?

The peer group averages are a weighted average of the data of all companies in the peer group. Likewise, the industry group averages are a weighted average of all the companies in the industry group (see above for explanation of peers and industries). The weighting is determined by the annual sales of the companies within the group for a given fiscal year. Because we strive to have a set of data that is as complete as possible, the averages for the previous calendar year are not available until approximately mid-August when all fiscal year data for the previous year is available.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-03 05:02

Why does the data seem stale?

Depending upon specific Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules, after each reporting period (quarter or fiscal year), a company may have up to 90 days to file their financial reports with the SEC. Morningstar uses publicly available data including SEC reports to compile the financial data provided in their data service. In times of heavy reporting (February and March), Morningstar may take up to 3 weeks to populate the data in the database. Morningstar may choose to provide a limited set of preliminary data before data is finalized in the database.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-12-02 15:22

Why does the fiscal year seem out of date?

For fiscal years that end between Jan. 1 and May 31, Morninstar assigns the previous calendar year as the date of the fiscal year. This is because the bulk of the financial activity occurred in the previous calendar year.

For example, McKesson Corporation's fiscal year ends at the end of March.

As of 12/2/2016, their last fiscal year end date was 3/31/2016. The annual data shows the last fiscal year to be 2015.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-12-02 15:44

What is the Special Calculation for Determining Sales on Banks?

BetterInvesting’s recommendation for analyzing banks is to incorporate the Net Interest Income and NonInterest Income into the revenue (sales). By doing this, the effect of changing interest rates on the revenue number is reduced and a clearer picture of the actual revenue is obtained for the bank. Therefore we provide an alternate revenue number for banks.

Net Interest Income (not tax adjusted) + Total Non-Interest Income

The fields used to generate this data are the following (the raw data may be viewed from the Expanded Fields page of the Company Research tool):

Net Interest Income = Total Interest Income (tii) – Total Interest Expense (tie)

Total Non-Interest Income = Sales (sale) – Total Interest Income (tii)

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-21 17:49

What is the derivation of Pretax Profit?

Pretax Profit is derived from Pretax Income with the removal of any special items.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:09

What is ‘NMF’?

‘NMF’ stands for ‘No Meaningful Figure’.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-21 17:34

How do we handle Canadian companies and Canadian Currency?

The BetterInvesting's Stock Data includes companies trading on the Toronto and Toronto Venture exchanges. Most (but not all) of these companies report financial data in Canadian dollars. Where Canadian dollars are used in reporting, a ‘C$’ will appear next to the company name. Due to varying reporting periods for exchange rates, no attempt is made to convert Canadian dollars to US dollars. Also, to remove the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on the averages, Canadian companies are not included in peer and industry group averages.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-09 22:30

How is the average growth rate calculated?

The average growth rate is calculated by determining the ‘least squares’ regression line of best fit using the natural log (LN) of the company data. The growth rate is the slope of that line.

If you'd like to try this yourself here are a couple of reference websites:

The 'y' values in the regression calculation must be the natural log of the company data. For example, ln(revenueforyear2012). To obtain the growth rate, exponential function must be applied to the slope of the resulting equation. For example, exp(slope).

The value can also be replicated by using the Excel LOGEST() function on the original data.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-21 17:25

What companies or exchanges are covered?

For subscribers to the stock data service or the Core or Plus Membership Package,in general the stocks covered include all active equities trading on the NYSE,AMEX, NASDAQ, ARCA (NYSE Archipelago), Toronto and Toronto Venture exchanges.

Specifically:

Must be a publically traded companyMust trade on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, ARCA, TSX, or TSX Venture exchangesSelected US OTC companies may be includedMust be active on the exchange (not delisted)Must be common stock for the companyMust have a ticker symbol assignedMust have at least 1 year of revenue data as part of the official SEC filingClosed end funds are not included

Author: Help DeskLast update: 2016-11-28 16:03

My stock analysis tool says “ticker not found”. What happened?

Typically, this happens because the company's equity is not traded on an exchange that our stock data service redistributes. For subscribers to the stock data service or the full Membership Package,the stocks covered include all active equities trading on the NYSE,AMEX, NASDAQ, ARCA (NYSE Archipelago), Toronto and Toronto Venture exchanges.

In rare cases, companies with multiple issues or companies that trade on multiple exchanges may be listed under a different ticker symbol. The naming convention for ticker symbols is not standardized and the data provider or BetterInvesting must adapt as well as possible.

Some basic criteria that is used to determine which company data is included in our tools and stock data service:

Must be a publically traded companyMust trade on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, ARCA, TSX, or TSX Venture exchangesSelected US OTC companies may be includedMust be active on the exchange (not delisted)Must be common stock for the companyMust have a ticker symbol assignedMust have at least 1 year of revenue data as part of the official SEC filingClosed end funds are not included

Author: Help DeskLast update: 2016-11-28 16:02

What analyst estimate data is available?

BetterInvesting is allowed to redistribute analysts’ consensus estimates of short-term and long-term earnings and short-term revenue growth estimates. Currently, analysts' consensus estimate of long-term earnings growth rate is part of the data service to the desktop tools as well as the Online Stock Tools; CoreSSG and SSGPlus. The CoreSSG and SSGPlus also include short term revenue growth estimates when available.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 13:58

How often are analyst estimates updated?

The timing for changes to analyst estimates is variable depending upon the number of analysts covering the company and the nature of the event driving the change. Changed data is incorporated into the tools on a daily basis so you may see data change on a daily basis as analysts change their estimates.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:03

How quickly does Morningstar update data after quarterly reports?

As with all data services, there is no one answer. For many larger companies, the data may be available within 1-4 days after the company issues a quarterly report. For other companies, the data is not available until the relevant data fields are fully reported by the company and incorporated into the data delivered to BetterInvesting. In general, if the company has filed a 10-Q or 10-K report with the SEC, the data is updated in the data service within 1-4 business days. If the company files an 8-K report along with a press release of complete financial information, this data may show up as ‘preliminary’ data in the data service within 1-4 business days. If the 8-k filing is not complete, there will be no 'preliminary' data and the data will only be populated after the 10-Q or 10-K report. For companies that do not report via the SEC (FDIC filers like SBNY) the data is collected manually and often the collection needs to be triggered on request to the data provide. In these cases it may take 1-3 weeks after that request for the report to be populated in the data delivered to BetterInvesting.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-12-08 15:59

How is the SSGPlus different from Toolkit?

There are a number of key differences at this time between the SSGPlus and Toolkit:

SSGPlus is an online app that is functional on PC’s, Mac’s, tablets and mobile devices. Toolkit 6 is built only for a Windows PC environment and requires installation on the computer itself.

The stock equity data is built into the SSGPlus app and price. Toolkit requires a separate data source at an additional price to automatically import equity data into the program.

SSGPlus includes displays of comparison data for your company’s peer companies. Toolkit does not have data for peer companies.

SSGPlus can display the judgments of other members of the community through the Member Sentiment listing. Toolkit does not have any link to bring in the judgment of others.

SSGPlus has the ability to screen the database of equities for likely candidates. Toolkit does not have any screening capabilities.

SSGPlus can provide current stock ideas through the Ticker Heat Map. Toolkit does not have any method to leverage community input.

SSGPlus and Toolkit both have a Portfolio Summary, PERT and Diversification reports. Toolkit has 3 additional portfolio reports; Trend, Offense and Defense.

Toolkit has a Challenge feature to compare a stock you believe should replace another stock in your portfolio to evaluate the potential consequences of the swap. SSGPlus does not yet have this feature.

SSGPlus has a more robust Stock Comparison Guide (SCG) which allows comparison to industry averages as well as the ability to save your SCG for future review and edits.

Each program will return identical SSG results if identical judgments are entered.

Will the SSGPlus continue to be developed?

It is the intent of the organization and the development team that the online stock selection guide tools continue to be developed. In particular, the goal for the SSGPlus app is to add features familiar to the Toolkit user so that the SSGPlus becomes an acceptable alternative to Toolkit.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 15:47

How do I order the CoreSSG or SSGPlus?

Membership and upgrade subscriptions for the Core and Plus memberships are available for sale in the web store as well as by calling our Contact Center at 877-275-6242.

Is there an additional fee for SSGPlus over the Online SSG (CoreSSG)?

Yes, due to the fact that this is an additional application with more functionality, there is a nominal price increase of $20 per year between the CoreSSG and SSGPlus.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-11-16 22:04

What is the price for the CoreSSG and SSGPlus?

The Core Membership (formerly called the ‘full membership’ or ‘full package membership’ and including the CoreSSG) is available for a yearly fee of $90. Club members may upgrade to the Core Membership for a yearly fee of $49 (this is over and above the club membership fee).

The Plus Membership which includes the CoreSSG and SSGPlus in additional to the other online tools is available for a yearly fee of $110. Club members may upgrade to the Plus Membership for a yearly fee of $69.

Both memberships have monthly payment options available.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-11-16 22:02

If I already have the Core Membership, what would I pay?

If you call into the Contact Center then we will move you to the next level and prorate the additional $20 cost based on how many months are left until your renewal date. Your renewal date remains unchanged.

If you order with a credit card through our web store then you will obtain immediate access to the SSGPlus app and won’t be charged anything for the Plus membership or upgrade until your next automatic credit card renewal date.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-11-16 22:12

If you buy the SSGPlus or Plus Membership are you getting one app or two?

The SSGPlus subscriber will have access to both SSG applications and will have the ability to move between the CoreSSG and SSGPlus applications. The default view is SSGPlus if the user is a subscriber to SSGPlus. The user’s desired default view can be set using the ‘Preferences’, ‘General’ setting. In addition to the SSG applications (CoreSSG, SSGPlus) the suite of tools includes a portfolio management and reporting app, a screening app and a Stock Comparison Guide app.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:18

Do lifetime members have access to the SSGPlus application?

Yes, lifetime members have access to CoreSSG, SSGPlus and all other BetterInvesting online analysis tools.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 17:16

Do chapter directors (volunteers) have access to the SSGPlus application?

Yes, chapter directors and volunteers have access to CoreSSG, SSGPlus and all other BetterInvesting online analysis tools.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 17:17

Do the Online Tools (SSGPlus and CoreSSG) work on a Mac?

The CoreSSG and SSGPlus are online, browser-based apps that do not need any installation. On a Mac, they work with the Safari and Firefox browsers. On a Windows machine, they work with IE 8,9,10, Firefox and Chrome.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-21 15:11

Will the Online Tools work on my tablet or phone?

Both the SSGPlus CoreSSG will work on most phones and tablets. (For Android phones and tablets, the Android operating system must be version 4.x and up)

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-21 14:30

Where are my SSG files stored?

Any SSG you work on in the Online Tools is stored stored in the cloud on BetterInvesting’s servers. The data is not stored on your local machine or tablet. While this does mean an internet connection is required for using the online tools, it also means you can access your work from any device, and will never have to worry about losing your work if your computer or tablet is repaired or replaced.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-21 14:21

Is there a free trial?

A new member purchasing the CoreSSG or SSGPlus will have a free 30 day trial period before their credit card is charged. A current member upgrading for the first time to CoreSSG or SSGPlus will also have a free 30 day trial period before their credit card is charged.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 17:36

Is there a trial version of the SSGPlus?

Yes, a trial version (limited version) of the SSGPlus is available from the public home page or under ‘Tools and Resources’, ‘Online Tools and Software’ on the member pages.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 17:37

Does the SSGPlus have a PERT Portfolio report?

The CoreSSG and SSGPlus now have the ability to segregate studies (SSG’s) into portfolios, which currently give you access to three reports:

The Portfolio Summary

The Portfolio PERT

The Portfolio Diversification

To access these reports, start from the My Studies page. Click the Portfolios heading, and then the Reports button next to the name of the portfolio you want to work with. This will open a new window where you can choose the Summary, PERT, or Diversification report.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-20 15:28

Can I import my entire Toolkit library or individual ITK files into the SSGPlus?

The steps to import individual .ITK files that have been exported from Toolkit, are available on our FAQ at:

The ability to import entire libraries is something we are considering for a future update. If you would like to see this feature added, we encourage you to visit http://feedback.betterinvesting.org to vote for this (or another) requested feature.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-10-01 12:55

Can I share my studies with other club members?

You can share your studies with other club members outside of the SSGPlus app by emailing them a PDF of your study, as follows:

With the study open, go to File > Email Study

In the new window that opens, select the attachment(s) you would like to send.

For club members without Toolkit, or who just want to print a copy of the study, we suggest using the Stock Selection Guide option. For members with Toolkit, who might want to apply their own judgment, the Data File option. If you aren't sure, you can always choose both.

Your name will be filled in by default; we suggest to leave this as is, because whatever you enter here will be used as part of the subject line of the email we send out. For example, if your name is Bob Smith, the subject line of the email when it arrives will read "Bob Smith has sent you a BetterInvesting study"

Under your name, there will be an option to send a copy to yourself. Checking this box will send a copy of the message to whatever email you have on file with BetterInvesting

The Recipients box is where you will enter the email addresses of any members who you want to send the message to. Remember to enter emails with a comma between them, so we'll know when one ends, and the other begins.

Lastly, you can enter a personal message. The email we send out will always have The name of the file(s) you sent, the name of the company, and your name. If you want to include anything extra, enter it in the personal message box.

Click the Send button, and we will take care of sending the email for you.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-08-20 14:58

Is peer data available in the SSGPlus?

Yes, the peer data can be accessed by clicking on the icon next to the fundamental data item on the first tab, ‘Analyze Growth and Quality’. The SSG opens with the default set of peers. The user may change and select any peers on the peer data display page.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:04

Is there a way to update data in my Stock Selection Guide?

The data for a study may be updated by going to the ‘Your Studies’ tab on the left hand side, selecting the study and clicking on the first icon (Update Study) to update the study.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 17:58

How do I keep the app up-to-date when changes or improvements are made?

The app is delivered online and real time via a browser and internet connection. When updates are made to the app they are made on our web servers so the app version you see is always the most recent version of the app.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 17:59

Is there a limit to how many portfolios that you can have?

At this time there is no limit to the number of portfolios that you can make under your account.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:00

Can you enter your own financial data (overwrite the default data)?

The user may overwrite and save the company financial data in the CoreSSG or SSGPlus study by accessing the data through the ‘Data’ link on the top menu. Choose 'Annual' or 'Basic' then click on the row (year or quarter) that you want to change. The data from that row will populate the text boxes at the bottom. Overwrite the values with your desired data and then click 'Update Study'.

At this time, it is not possible to start a blank study or to add additional years to the existing study data.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-01-14 13:07

Can you switch back and forth between SSGPlus and CoreSSG?

The user may switch from the SSGPlus view to the CoreSSG view and back by clicking on the blue button in the upper right of the app. The user’s desired default view can be set using the ‘Preferences’, ‘General’ setting.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:27

Where is the quick navigation bar to quickly open a new study?

Quickly navigate to a new study by clicking on the name of the company in the top blue bar. A box will open that displays your last 5 saved SSG’s and the opportunity to open a completely new study. You may also access the ‘Quick Navigation’ function by clicking on the ‘File’ link in the top menu. Accessing other previously saved studies is accomplished by going to the ‘Your Studies’ link on the left side tabs.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:03

What are the values on the vertical axis of the graph?

The value of the y axis will vary depending on what is being plotted. This allows us to plot 1.00 in EPS on the same chart with $5 million in sales. The values can be read off from the table below the graph. The important thing about the graph is to note consistency (straightness of line) and the growth rate (steepness of the line).

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:17

Is there a PERT-A report?

Yes, the SSGPlus has a third tab at the top called ‘Quarterly Data’ that displays quarterly earnings per share (EPS), pre-tax profit margin (%PTP) and revenue in a format similar to a PERT-A report.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:17

Does the app automatically update data when you open a study?

Current data is always used when opening a brand new study. If you are opening an existing study it does not update automatically. You have to click the update button in the file manager to update the data.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:18

How do I have the trend spark line show in the SSGPlus?

The SSGPlus has an option to show colorful small graphs (spark lines) to indicate the quality trend for Pre-Tax Profit Margin, Return on Equity and Debt to Capital rather than the words ‘UP’, ‘DOWN’ or ‘EVEN’. To show the spark lines, click on ‘Preferences’, ‘Study’ and select ‘Graph’ under the ‘Trend Display’ option.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:19

Are insider and institutional ownership displayed in the SSGPlus app?

Percent of insider and institutional ownership of the stock is displayed under ‘Data’ and ‘Basic’ in the SSGPlus app.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:20

Can you print the Quarterly Data as a report?

The quarterly data can be printed in a PDF report. To print the report, select ‘Print’ then select the report sections that you would like to include in the PDF. Then click ‘Generate PDF’. Depending on the number of sections, the report may take up to 30 seconds to generate the PDF.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:20

Does SSGPlus permit you to look at high/low PE Ratios in graph form?

At this time you cannot see a graph in SSGPlus of the high and low P/E’s for a company over time. These ratios are available in the CoreSSG. This is a requested feature and you can visit http://feedback.betterinvesting.org to vote for your favorite requested features.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:21

Can you assign an SSG study to more than one portfolio?

An SSG study can be associated with more than one portfolio.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:22

Will an update to an SSG study that is in more than one portfolio, update the study in both places?

Changing an SSG study that is linked or associated to more than one portfolio will update the information in both portfolios.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 18:23

How do I access the SSGPlus app?

The SSGPlus is available to those members who have a Plus membership.

Starting from the BetterInvesting home page, enter a ticker in the 'Enter ticker' box, under the Online Tools heading, and click 'Go'.

When the stock study opens, go to the Preferences menu, and click General. On the next screen, use the drop down menu next to 'Preferred SSG Version', and switch it to SSGPlus.

Click the Save button near the right hand corner of the page, and the stock study will be refreshed, showing the SSGPlus version instead of the CoreSSG.

If you are trying to switch to the SSGPlus, and do not see the option, you can check your account, to see if you have access, from the main BetterInvesting.org web site. While signed in on the main site, click 'Update Profile' in the grey bar near the top of the page. Scroll down to the 'Product Subscription Information' heading. This will show your membership, and access to the online tools.

How do I access previously saved studies in the CoreSSG or the SSGPlus tool?

To re-open or update a previously saved study, use the tabs on the left hand side of the page when you are in either the CoreSSG or the SSGPlus. From these tabs, click the 'book icon' which says 'Your Studies' if you hover your mouse over it. This will give a list of your list of saved studies. Simply click on the study that you'd like to open and the page will refresh, showing your study.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-07-29 16:45

How do I add a company study to my portfolio?

Similar to adding a new portfolio, adding a study to an existing portfolio starts by getting to the Portfolios and Studies tab. From anywhere in the online tools, click the Portfolios and Studies (My Studies) tab, just under the Home tab on the left hand side of the page. Next, click Portfolios just under the New Study button. This will show a list of all current portfolios.

To add a company study to one of these portfolios, click on the first icon ( Edit Portfolio) in the ‘Actions’ column to open the Edit Portfolio dialog box. This will show the Portfolio name, Account name (if you entered one) and Description in the top part of the box. The bottom part of the box will be where you type in the ticker symbol for the stock you want to add. As you start typing in a ticker symbol, the system will show a list of any tickers that come close to matching what you are typing in. Once the list has been narrowed down to show the study you want, click that entry; this will fill in the name of the study, and the date it was created. In the image below for example, there are three copies of Bed,Bath&Beyond in the available studies.

Once you have clicked the stock you want, then fill in the number of shares, and click the check mark button to the right of the Shares box. If you only want to add one stock, then click Save, and the portfolio listing will update to include this new stock. If you want to add multiple stocks to the portfolio, simply repeat the steps from above of typing in the ticker symbol, selecting the SSG you want, and then clicking the check mark button to add them to the list. In the example below, clicking Save will close the Edit Portfolio window, and add all three stocks to the portfolio.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-10-17 15:00

How do I delete a study (disconnect it) from my portfolio but keep it in my list of all saved studies?

To disassociate or delete a study from a portfolio without deleting it from the database, first make sure you are signed in to the COREssg or SSGplus Once you are signed in, click the My Studies tab on the left hand side of the page. If you do not already see a list of your portfolios, click the Portfolios heading, near the left hand side of the page. Once you can see the list of portfolios, click the name of the study you would like to remove a stock from. From the list of studies that appear on the lower part of the page, click trash can icon in the ‘Actions’ column. In the next box that comes up, click 'Remove', and then click OK. The stock will then be removed from the portfolio.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-07-29 16:24

When I try to log in to the website I receive a "click here" message that says I do not have access to this service. What do I do?

When attempting to log into the website you may receive the following message:

You do not have access to this service. To include this service as part of your membership, click here or contact a Member Service Representative at 1-877-275-6242.

If you receive this message select the "click here" option and you will be directed to the appropriate part of the website you were trying to reach. If you are still unable to move forward on the website please contact a Member Services Representative to assist you.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-05-02 12:19

Is the 'Preferred Procedure' method of calculating earnings available in the CoreSSG or SSGPlus tool?

The 'Preferred Procedure' method of calculating earnings (sometimes known as the Revenue-based EPS Estimate) is available only in the SSGPlus tool. To access this functionality click on the green outlined box to enter an Earnings Per Share (EPS) projection/judgment and the 'Preferred Procedure' calculation will be part of the EPS judgment popup box.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:13

Which product should I buy? CoreSSG, SSGPlus or Toolkit?

Each Stock Selection Guide (SSG) tool will produce the same results if the same user judgment is entered.

The CoreSSG product is an online, Web-based tool that presents the core concepts of the Stock Selection Guide methodology in an easy to use, step-by-step format for the beginning investor.

The SSGPlus product is an online, Web-based tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view for the more experienced user of the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

The Toolkit 6 product is a Windows desktop installed tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view of the Stock Selection Guide methodology. Toolkit 6 offers a few more features than SSGPlus.

You want to be able to access the tool online on your mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

Consider buying the SSGPlus* if:

You are already familiar with the Stock Selection Guide methodology (You have done a number of SSG's already).

You want to do a Stock Selection Guide using the two page form.

You want to see the additional data for visual analysis on the front page graph; book value, free cash flow per share, dividends, etc.

You understand the concept of the income statement and want to utilize the Preferred Procedure.

You want access to the additional quarterly data analysis.

You want additional stock ideas in the form of more screening and the Ticker Heat Map.

You are in an investment club that uses the PERT or diversification reports as part of your portfolio review.

You want additional educational classes to support making forecasts (judgments).

You want to be able to access the tool online on your mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

*The SSGPlus product includes access to the CoreSSG product as well.

Consider buying Toolkit 6 if:

You are already familiar with the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

You are comfortable only using your Windows PC to use the product. This product is not available online, through mobile devices or on a Mac.

You are in a club where your other club members are using Toolkit and you want to use the same tool.

You want to use a tool while not connected to the Internet.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-16 19:30

How do you add a comment to a stock on the Portfolios and Studies page?

To add a comment to a stock on the Portfolios and Studies Page you will first need to select the 'Edit' (pencil icon) for the stock you would like to leave a comment on. Second, a popup will show with an area for 'Comments'. Enter your comments and finally select 'Save'.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-07-01 12:44

How soon is data on a new company, spinoff or IPO available?

If the registration documents for the new company or ticker include at least 1 year of annual financial data then the information for a new company, spinoff or IPO should be available within 2-3 days after the launch date. Keep in mind that for a brand new company, there may be extremely limited historical information and not suitable for analyzing with a Stock Selection Guide. If the user requires more information then the company filings on the website at SEC.gov should be reviewed.

Author: Help DeskLast update: 2014-09-13 12:23

Are companies trading on the OTC exchanges covered in the data service or the tools?

In general companies trading on OTC exchanges are not covered in the data service or the tools.

Inclusion of companies trading on the OTC exchanges is done on a case by case basis and only after a written customer request has been received.

The company must have at least 5 years of fundamental annual financial statement data available in the source data, at least 5 years of market (price) data and exhibit consistent stock prices trading above $1 per share.

Caution must be exercised when evaluating companies trading on OTC exchanges as (with the exception of some foreign issuers), the companies quoted on OTC exchanges tend to be closely held, very small and/or thinly traded. Most issuers do not meet the minimum listing requirements for trading on a national securities exchange. Many of these companies do not file periodic reports or audited financial statements with the SEC, making it difficult for the public to find current, reliable information about those companies.

How do I start a new portfolio?

The first step will be to get to the Portfolios and Studies tab. From anywhere in the online tools, click the Portfolios and Studies (My Studies) tab, just under the Home tab on the left hand side of the page.

Next, click Portfolios, just under the New Study button. By default, everyone using the online tools has two portfolios: All Studies, and Studies Not in a Portfolio. The first time you click on the Portfolios button, the screen will look something like this:

To Create a new portfolio, click the New Portfolio button, as pointed to above.

From the Window that comes up Enter the Name you would like to use for a Portfolio, the Account (This is not required, but can be helpful if your club has securities at one broker, and you have personal holdings at another), and any Description you would like. Click Save, and the new portfolio will be added to your list. In the example below, the portfolio Club Portfolio has been added.

Author: Edson GilmoreLast update: 2014-10-16 17:51

How do I export a study from CoreSSG or SSGPlus?

If you are not already using the CoreSSG or SSGPlus, then from the main BetterInvesting.org home page, click the 'My Studies' button, in the Online Tools section. From any CoreSSG or SSGplus page, click the ‘My Studies’ tab, on the left hand side of the page (second from the top). Click on the company you wish to export, and it will be displayed as an SSG. From the set of menus across the top of the Stock Study, click ‘Files’, and then Export SSG File, or Export ITK File. If you plan to use the file in Toolkit, we suggest to use the Export ITK File option.

At this point, most browsers will automatically begin downloading and saving the file to a preset location. If you are asked to choose a location, we suggest the Downloads folder. While most browsers will automatically save the file to a specific location, not all of them save to the same location, nor do they necessarily remind you where to find the downloaded file. For steps on finding downloaded files on your computer, we suggest the following article on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site:http://www.iclub.com/faq/index.php?solution_id=1186

Once the file is done downloading, you can usually select to automatically open the file, if you choose. If you plan to work on the file latter, or if you cannot get Toolkit to automatically open the file, we suggest the following article on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site, on manually importing files:http://www.iclub.com/faq/index.php?solution_id=1463

Author: Sean PulrangLast update: 2015-10-01 13:06

Importing .ITK files into the Online Tools

If you are not already using the CoreSSG or SSGPlus, then from the main BetterInvesting.org home page, click the My Studies button, in the Online Tools section.

From any CoreSSG or SSGplus page, click the My Studies tab, on the left hand side of the page (second from the top).

Under the Portfolios and Studies heading, click Import TK6 Study, and then Choose File on the window that opens up.

This will open a new window, showing a list of common locations and folders on the left, with the contents of the selected folder in the main part of the window. Use the list of locations on the left of the window to navigate to your .ITK file(s).

Keep in mind that studies cannot be copied directly from Toolkit. They must first be saved on to your computer, or other drive. If you have not already done so, we suggest to read over FAQ 1464 on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site, regarding the export of data files. The direct link to the page is:

The most common places you might have a file waiting are on the desktop, in your downloads folder, or in your Documents folder.

In this example, we’re looking on the desktop, and have clicked to select the ABMD stock study from 9/30/2015, prepared by ICLUB.

Double click the file, or click Open after selecting it, and you will return to the online tools page, which will now show the name of the file.

Click Import, and the file will be copied from your computer, into your All Studies portfolio

Author: Sean PulrangLast update: 2015-10-01 10:57

What are the BetterInvesting company size classifications or categories?

BetterInvesting recommends considering the 'size' of the company when reviewing portfolio diversification. To facilitate that diversification, BetterInvesting has established the following rough guidelines for categorizing by size based upon the company's recent revenue (either last fiscal year or trailing twelve months):

Small company - less than $1 billion in revenue

Medium company - $1 billion to $10 billion

Large company - more than $10 billion

These company size classifications are used throughout the BetterInvesting Online Stock Tools.

Why do we determine the 'size' of the company based on annual revenue rather than market capitalization?

The Stock Selection Guide is a tool that is focused on analyzing the fundamentals of an organization. One of the primary drivers of good fundamentals is revenue growth. Small companies with revenues less than $1B annually may be able to achieve more rapid rates of growth, although this often comes with a more price volatility and higher investment risk. Large companies with revenues greater than $10B annually, often have slower, but more predictable rates of growth and tend to be more resistant to price declines during weak periods in the stock market. In other words, we look at diversification by size mainly as a means to help us maintain adequate growth for our portfolio, while keeping our risk at an acceptable level. For that reason we have decided that the best way of determining the size of an organization is to base it on annual revenues. The market cap of an organization is based on its market price, and fluctuations can be caused by factors that are unrelated to the fundamentals of the organization.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-12-07 16:51

Why is the menu, tabs and/or graph out of position?

The most common reason that items become out of position is that the user's font size in their browser is set too large for the program to accomodate.

The problems will typically be resolved if you set the minimum font size to 10 or below.

Here are browser specific instructions to reset the fonts:

Safari:

Click on the word 'Safari' then click on 'Settings' or 'Preferences'.

After you are in the Safari Settings then click on the last icon labelled ‘Advanced’.

Under 'Accessibility' the top option is a font setting; 'Never use font sizes smaller than ...'. If you uncheck this or set it to a number that is 10 or less then any layout problems should be fixed.

Chrome:

Click on three bars or dots in the upper right corner of the browser. This is on the same line as the address bar.

Click on Settings

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on 'Show advanced settings.'

Scroll to Web Content

Make sure Font size shows Medium

Click on Customize Fonts and make sure the minimum font size is 10 or lower.

Firefox:

Click on three bars in the upper right corner of the browser. This is on the same line as the address bar.

Click on the 'gear' icon that says 'Options'.

Click on the 'Content' item in the left menu.

Under the 'Fonts & Colors' section look to the right and click on the 'Advanced' button.

On the Fonts panel look for the 'Minimum Font Size' dropdown and select 'None', '9' or '10' then click 'OK'

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-11-28 17:02

Webinar Recordings

How do I access free webinar recordings?

Members can find free webinar recordings in the following locations on the BetterInvesting website.

Located on the member page of the BetterInvesting web site. Tools & Resources > Webinar Recordings

When I try to log in to the website I receive a "click here" message that says I do not have access to this service. What do I do?

When attempting to log into the website you may receive the following message:

You do not have access to this service. To include this service as part of your membership, click here or contact a Member Service Representative at 1-877-275-6242.

If you receive this message select the "click here" option and you will be directed to the appropriate part of the website you were trying to reach. If you are still unable to move forward on the website please contact a Member Services Representative to assist you.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-05-02 12:19

How do I access the recordings for Ticker Talk?

Members can access Ticker Talk recordings by clicking the Tools & Resources tab near the top of the BetterInvesting.org page, then the Ticker Talk heading on the left hand side of the page.

Alternately, members can click on the link below to go directly to the Ticker Talk page:

Stock Data

What is the source of the analyst estimate data?

The analyst estimate data for sales and earnings is provided in the form of consensus estimates and is provided by Morningstar. The number of analysts providing estimates for a particular ticker varies according to the size and popularity of the company. For example, larger company estimates may be an aggregate of estimates from up to 10 analysts whereas a smaller company may be only covered by 1 or 2 analysts.

Estimates are provided for approximately 3000 companies out of the nearly 8000 companies in the database. Not all companies will have both sales and earnings estimates.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 13:54

Why does the data seem stale?

Depending upon specific Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules, after each reporting period (quarter or fiscal year), a company may have up to 90 days to file their financial reports with the SEC. Morningstar uses publicly available data including SEC reports to compile the financial data provided in their data service. In times of heavy reporting (February and March), Morningstar may take up to 3 weeks to populate the data in the database. Morningstar may choose to provide a limited set of preliminary data before data is finalized in the database.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-12-02 15:22

Why does the fiscal year seem out of date?

For fiscal years that end between Jan. 1 and May 31, Morninstar assigns the previous calendar year as the date of the fiscal year. This is because the bulk of the financial activity occurred in the previous calendar year.

For example, McKesson Corporation's fiscal year ends at the end of March.

As of 12/2/2016, their last fiscal year end date was 3/31/2016. The annual data shows the last fiscal year to be 2015.

Author: SuziLast update: 2016-12-02 15:44

How are Earnings per Share calculated in this data?

The earnings that are used in the tools and stock data service are 'Diluted EPS from Continuing Operations'.

These are the earnings from the GAAP definition of continuing operations divided by the common shares outstanding adjusted for the assumed conversion of all potentially dilutive securities. Securities having a dilutive effect may include convertible debentures, warrants, options, and convertible preferred stock.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-05-02 10:47

Who provides the fundamental company data?

Morningstar provides the fundamental financial data for covered stocks (equities) for the association and its members. Morningstar data is used for the Online Stock Selection Guide, Stock Comparison Guide and related resources and is available as a data source for Toolkit 6 and other approved uses in software products.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 19:02

What companies or exchanges are covered?

For subscribers to the stock data service or the Core or Plus Membership Package,in general the stocks covered include all active equities trading on the NYSE,AMEX, NASDAQ, ARCA (NYSE Archipelago), Toronto and Toronto Venture exchanges.

Specifically:

Must be a publically traded companyMust trade on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, ARCA, TSX, or TSX Venture exchangesSelected US OTC companies may be includedMust be active on the exchange (not delisted)Must be common stock for the companyMust have a ticker symbol assignedMust have at least 1 year of revenue data as part of the official SEC filingClosed end funds are not included

How many companies are available for study?

ADR and ADS issues trading on the covered exchanges are included in the BetterInvesting Stock Data Service and integrated into the CoreSSG and SSGPlus online stock tools.

Users should be aware that by law, ADR/ADS issues only need to file annual reports. Other quarterly data will be included in the data service if there is enough data reported by the company to generate a full set of financial statements.

Some companies will provide an interim report on a semi-annual basis. At this time, the stock data service and online stock tools do not have a provision to display this semi-annual data.

For more information about ADR or ADS issues please visit these links:

Is stock data coverage be limited to only companies that Morningstar analysts cover?

All companies that are actively trading common shares on the six covered exchanges are included in the fundamental data that the tools and stock data service utilize. This is a much larger set of companies than Morningstar analysts cover with their analyst-based reports.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:16

What data beyond fundamental company financial data is available to us?

In addition to fundamental company financial data the service also includes pricing data, including the effects of splits, mergers and other corporate actions, dividend data, insider and institutional data and analyst consensus revenue and earnings estimates.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:16

Do we have access to Morningstar’s Profile or Analyst reports?

The data service supplies fundamental data to our tools and data services and does not include Morningstar’s Profile or Analyst Reports. You may be able to access Morningstar reports through links at your local library’s website.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:17

My stock analysis tool says “ticker not found”. What happened?

Typically, this happens because the company's equity is not traded on an exchange that our stock data service redistributes. For subscribers to the stock data service or the full Membership Package,the stocks covered include all active equities trading on the NYSE,AMEX, NASDAQ, ARCA (NYSE Archipelago), Toronto and Toronto Venture exchanges.

In rare cases, companies with multiple issues or companies that trade on multiple exchanges may be listed under a different ticker symbol. The naming convention for ticker symbols is not standardized and the data provider or BetterInvesting must adapt as well as possible.

Some basic criteria that is used to determine which company data is included in our tools and stock data service:

Must be a publically traded companyMust trade on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, ARCA, TSX, or TSX Venture exchangesSelected US OTC companies may be includedMust be active on the exchange (not delisted)Must be common stock for the companyMust have a ticker symbol assignedMust have at least 1 year of revenue data as part of the official SEC filingClosed end funds are not included

Author: Help DeskLast update: 2016-11-28 16:02

What analyst estimate data is available?

BetterInvesting is allowed to redistribute analysts’ consensus estimates of short-term and long-term earnings and short-term revenue growth estimates. Currently, analysts' consensus estimate of long-term earnings growth rate is part of the data service to the desktop tools as well as the Online Stock Tools; CoreSSG and SSGPlus. The CoreSSG and SSGPlus also include short term revenue growth estimates when available.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 13:58

What does “long-term” mean when we speak of “long-term EPS growth estimates”?

Long term is typically three to five years in the future.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:20

How many companies have long-term EPS estimates?

The service currently provides long-term estimates for approximately 2,600 companies.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 16:31

How often are analyst estimates updated?

The timing for changes to analyst estimates is variable depending upon the number of analysts covering the company and the nature of the event driving the change. Changed data is incorporated into the tools on a daily basis so you may see data change on a daily basis as analysts change their estimates.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-15 14:03

How often is the data updated?

The data is updated daily. The BetterInvesting Stock Data Service provides new company data the next day after BetterInvesting receives it from Morningstar. Pricing data included in the data continues to be the closing price as of the prior trading day.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:22

How quickly does Morningstar update data after quarterly reports?

As with all data services, there is no one answer. For many larger companies, the data may be available within 1-4 days after the company issues a quarterly report. For other companies, the data is not available until the relevant data fields are fully reported by the company and incorporated into the data delivered to BetterInvesting. In general, if the company has filed a 10-Q or 10-K report with the SEC, the data is updated in the data service within 1-4 business days. If the company files an 8-K report along with a press release of complete financial information, this data may show up as ‘preliminary’ data in the data service within 1-4 business days. If the 8-k filing is not complete, there will be no 'preliminary' data and the data will only be populated after the 10-Q or 10-K report. For companies that do not report via the SEC (FDIC filers like SBNY) the data is collected manually and often the collection needs to be triggered on request to the data provide. In these cases it may take 1-3 weeks after that request for the report to be populated in the data delivered to BetterInvesting.

Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and/or filing requirements are not consistent for all companies. Some companies may provide a press release style of financial reports that do not contain all data required for a company analysis. Also, foreign companies trading as ADR or ADS companies on a US exchange do not have the same SEC filing requirements.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:23

Will “preliminary” data be provided shortly after press release announcements of financial results?

“Preliminary” data from Morningstar based upon a press release or an 8-K filing is included in the BetterInvesting data service.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:26

Will I see differences in the fundamental data when I study a company?

As with any data source, there might be differences in the figures provided. This is mainly because each data provider uses its own algorithms to “normalize” earnings to remove the effects of special items and one-time events. Differences in other fundamental data fields may occur because of how various data providers handle the effects ofmergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, discontinued operations and other company events. A good practice is to compare figures from the data source against those contained in company 10-Q and 10-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission; investigate any significant differences to see whether the data source is in error.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-02 00:29

Is the BetterInvesting data service any different from the data service available from StockCentral?

The underlying data is the same for both BetterInvesting and StockCentral data services. StockCentral’s data continues to include the Take Stock quality rating and the Take Stock estimated growth rate in its data service.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 16:19

Why don't the yearly high and low stock prices match Value Line or Yahoo! Finance?

The high and low stock price data used in the Online Stock Tools and stock data service are calculated based on the company's fiscal year, not the calendar year.

What this means to you is that when you see historic high and low P/E ratios in section 3 of the SSG, the price data used to calculate those P/E values is for the exact same time period during which those earnings were earned.

Value Line yearly high and low prices are based upon the calendar year, regardless of when the company's fiscal year ends.

If you are comparing the high and low stock price data to Yahoo! Finance or another web site, be sure to check the company's fiscal year end date and adjust the date range accordingly.

For example, when checking 2012 high and low prices for D.R. Horton (ticker=DHI), whose fiscal year closes September 30th, you will need to check from October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-03 23:06

How is financial data handled from foreign companies that report in native currency?

Foreign companies have the option of officially reporting their financial data in their native currency or in US dollars. Sometimes foreign companies that report in native currency will also include another view of the data in US dollars as a 'courtesy'. In that case, the company will disclose the conversion rate used to generate the 'courtesy' view in US dollars.

BetterInvesting receives the raw fundamental, financial data from the data provider in the same currency that the company provides their official filing/financial statements.

For the courtesy of our end users, the applicable financial data for companies reporting in non-US dollar currencies (excluding Canadian companies) is converted to US dollars (USD) by using an average conversion rate for the quarterly or yearly period. This average conversion rate may not be equal to the 'courtesy conversion rate' used by the company in their report so the financial data in US dollars may be slightly different between the BI products and the USD presentation view provided by the company.

Data reported in Canadian dollars (CAD) is not converted to US dollars.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-03-25 16:19

Why don't the earnings (EPS) in the tool or stock data service match other sources?

The earnings (EPS) that are used in the tools and stock data service are 'DilutedEPS from Continuing Operations'.

There are the earnings from the GAAP definition of continuing operations divided by the common shares outstanding adjusted for the assumed conversion of all potentially dilutive securities. Securities having a dilutive effect may include convertible debentures, warrants, options, and convertible preferred stock.

These earnings are traceable back to the company's official filing (10-Q, 10-K, 20-F) on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov

Other financial resources may present different variations on earnings.

In particular, Value Line will present the company's adjusted, 'pro-forma', or Non-GAAP earnings from their press release. Value Line no longer notes adjustments to recent data in their footnotes so the end user is often unaware that adjusted data is being presented.

If the company presents adjusted or Non-GAAP data in their press release then they have an obligation to inform you that the data has been adjusted and how it has been adjusted from the GAAP numbers. This information is in the form of 'reconciliation' and is present whenever the company reports non-GAAP numbers. This is usually in their earnings press release which is also recorded with the SEC under an '8-K' filing.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-09-08 13:03

When I try to log in to the website I receive a "click here" message that says I do not have access to this service. What do I do?

When attempting to log into the website you may receive the following message:

You do not have access to this service. To include this service as part of your membership, click here or contact a Member Service Representative at 1-877-275-6242.

If you receive this message select the "click here" option and you will be directed to the appropriate part of the website you were trying to reach. If you are still unable to move forward on the website please contact a Member Services Representative to assist you.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-05-02 12:19

How soon is data on a new company, spinoff or IPO available?

If the registration documents for the new company or ticker include at least 1 year of annual financial data then the information for a new company, spinoff or IPO should be available within 2-3 days after the launch date. Keep in mind that for a brand new company, there may be extremely limited historical information and not suitable for analyzing with a Stock Selection Guide. If the user requires more information then the company filings on the website at SEC.gov should be reviewed.

Author: Help DeskLast update: 2014-09-13 12:23

Are companies trading on the OTC exchanges covered in the data service or the tools?

In general companies trading on OTC exchanges are not covered in the data service or the tools.

Inclusion of companies trading on the OTC exchanges is done on a case by case basis and only after a written customer request has been received.

The company must have at least 5 years of fundamental annual financial statement data available in the source data, at least 5 years of market (price) data and exhibit consistent stock prices trading above $1 per share.

Caution must be exercised when evaluating companies trading on OTC exchanges as (with the exception of some foreign issuers), the companies quoted on OTC exchanges tend to be closely held, very small and/or thinly traded. Most issuers do not meet the minimum listing requirements for trading on a national securities exchange. Many of these companies do not file periodic reports or audited financial statements with the SEC, making it difficult for the public to find current, reliable information about those companies.

What are the BetterInvesting company size classifications or categories?

BetterInvesting recommends considering the 'size' of the company when reviewing portfolio diversification. To facilitate that diversification, BetterInvesting has established the following rough guidelines for categorizing by size based upon the company's recent revenue (either last fiscal year or trailing twelve months):

Small company - less than $1 billion in revenue

Medium company - $1 billion to $10 billion

Large company - more than $10 billion

These company size classifications are used throughout the BetterInvesting Online Stock Tools.

Why do we determine the 'size' of the company based on annual revenue rather than market capitalization?

The Stock Selection Guide is a tool that is focused on analyzing the fundamentals of an organization. One of the primary drivers of good fundamentals is revenue growth. Small companies with revenues less than $1B annually may be able to achieve more rapid rates of growth, although this often comes with a more price volatility and higher investment risk. Large companies with revenues greater than $10B annually, often have slower, but more predictable rates of growth and tend to be more resistant to price declines during weak periods in the stock market. In other words, we look at diversification by size mainly as a means to help us maintain adequate growth for our portfolio, while keeping our risk at an acceptable level. For that reason we have decided that the best way of determining the size of an organization is to base it on annual revenues. The market cap of an organization is based on its market price, and fluctuations can be caused by factors that are unrelated to the fundamentals of the organization.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-12-07 16:51

Is data for foreign companies available?

Foreign companies with issues trading on the covered exchanges are included in the BetterInvesting Stock Data Service and integrated into the CoreSSG and SSGPlus online stock tools. These companies may be trading depository shares (ADR/ADS) or they may be ordinary shares.

Users should be aware that by law, foreign companies only need to file annual reports. Other quarterly data will be included in the data service if there is enough data reported by the company to generate a full set of financial statements. Given this constraint your Stock Selection Guide may only have fundamental data updates once per year.

Some companies will provide an interim report on a semi-annual basis. At this time, the stock data service and online stock tools do not have a provision to display this semi-annual data.

How do I convert bank revenue into sales. In particular I'm looking at 2016 4th qtr of SBNY bank report

This entry is in revision and can not be displayed.

Author: Bill HelbigLast update: 2017-03-12 11:17

How do I convert Bank revenue to sales. In particular I'm looking at SBNY 1016 4th qtr report

This entry is in revision and can not be displayed.

Author: Bill HelbigLast update: 2017-03-12 11:22

BetterInvesting National Convention

What is the BetterInvesting National Convention (BINC)?

The National Convention is BetterInvesting's largest premier event attracting long-term investors from across the nation. Held in a different city each year, the four-day convention features nationally known speakers, plus seminars, tours, social events and one of the largest displays of investment information, education and ideas in the country. The events include specialized investment seminars, workshops, corporate roundtable discussions and corporate exhibits and presentations. The convention is an outstanding learning and networking experience for both beginning and experienced investors. For details on the next BetterInvesting National Convention (BINC), please follow the link below:

What is the cancellation policy for the BetterInvesting National Convention?

NOTE: All cancellations are subject to a $50 fee, and NO refunds will be made after April 1st.

Author: Treava DildineLast update: 2016-06-21 14:30

What does registration to the BetterInvesting National Convention include?

Registration to the BetterInvesting National Convention (BINC) Includes:

Meals

Welcome Reception

Multiple Seminars For All Levels Of Investors

Computerized Investing Seminars

Popular Guest Speakers and Instructors

Corporate Presentations

Saturday Night Awards Dinner

Author: Treava DildineLast update: 2013-11-05 10:20

I have questions about the BetterInvesting National Convention who can I contact?

For any questions regarding the BetterInvesting National Convention (BINC), please contact our Member Services department by email at service@betterinvesting.org, or by phone, Toll-Free at 877-275-6242.

Author: Treava DildineLast update: 2016-06-15 14:46

Where can I register for, or find more information about the BetterInvesting National Convention?

For all the latest details about the BetterInvesting National Convention (BINC), please visit the BetterInvesting.org web site at:

What is Chapter Director Pricing?

Chapter Directors are are volunteers on the chapter boards around the country who work throughout the year, meeting with clubs, members, and helping to put on programs in their local areas. Chapter Directors are given a $100 reduction in the BetterInvesting National Convention (BINC) registration fee. The reduction in the registration price is only offered to Chapter Volunteers.

Contacting Us

How do I contact BetterInvesting?

The best way to contact BetterInvesting is to send an email to Member Services at service@betterinvesting.org . Please allow 24 hours if received during normal business hours.

Alternatively, you may call toll-free at 877-275-6242 between the 8AM and 6PM Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Be aware that call volumes are heaviest 12PM and 2PM Eastern.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-16 17:06

How quickly can I expect a response after contacting BetterInvesting?

If you have submitted a question to BetterInvesting via email to Member Services then you may expect a response by the close of the next business day.

If you have left a voice message then you may expect a message by the close of the next business day.

If your question requires investigation then we will confirm receipt of your question but depending upon the complexity of the issue it may take several days to respond.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-16 17:11

How do I create an email address account?

In order to create an email address, you can either use one that is included with your ISP (internet service provider) account or one of the free online services such as Yahoo, Gmail or Microsoft. You can sign up for one of these FREE accounts at any of the following links:

Select the CREATE AN ACCOUNT option at the bottom of the page. Fill in all of the required information on the next page. You do not have to fill in a phone number or current email address. Type in the verification text and be sure to select the box for agreement of Google Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Select NEXT STEP. Your new email account is now set up. Write down your new username and password so you will not forget it. Your username will be something like user@gmail.com with ‘user’ being the name you chose. To check your email on this account go back to the same link listed and select the SIGN IN option at the top right. Use the username and password you just created to sign in and view your account.

Select the option to SIGN UP NOW to create your account. Fill in all of the required information on the page that appears. Again, you do not have to fill in a phone number or alternate email address. Enter the security characters to verify you are not a robot and select CREATE ACCOUNT. Your new email account is now set up. Write down your new username and password so you will not forget it. Your username will be user@outlook.com with ‘user’ being the name you chose. To check your email on this account go back to the same link listed and select the SIGN IN option at the top right. Use the username and password you just created to sign in and view your account.

Select the CREATE NEW ACCOUNT box on the screen. The next page will require you to fill out your sign up information. As you select your username you will see a drop down of available options. You do not have to use them but be aware that the username you select may not be available. If it is not, you will see ‘this username is not available’ just below the box you are attempting to type in. Be sure to select a password you will be able to remember and meets the requirements given. You will be required to give your phone number, date of birth, gender and an optional recovery number. By selecting “CREATE ACCOUNT” you agree to the Yahoo Terms and Privacy. Your new email account is now set up. Write down your new username and password so you will not forget it. Your username will be something like user@yahoo.com with ‘user’ being the name you chose. To check your email on this account go back to the same link listed and select the SIGN IN option at the top right. Use the username and password you just created to sign in and view your account.

Website

How do I reset my password?

Click on the gray 'Member Login' button in the upper right section of the home page.

On the login page click on the 'Forgot your password?' link.

Enter your Member ID, Zip Code, and Email Address on file with BetterInvesting.

Your new password will be sent to your registered email address within the next 10-15 minutes.

If you do not have a valid email address on file with BetterInvesting or do not wish to reset your password on line, then please call our Contact Center at 877-275-6242 and our support staff will help you over the phone.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-11-06 15:17

When I try to log in to the website I receive a "click here" message that says I do not have access to this service. What do I do?

When attempting to log into the website you may receive the following message:

You do not have access to this service. To include this service as part of your membership, click here or contact a Member Service Representative at 1-877-275-6242.

If you receive this message select the "click here" option and you will be directed to the appropriate part of the website you were trying to reach. If you are still unable to move forward on the website please contact a Member Services Representative to assist you.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-05-02 12:19

How do I create an email address account?

In order to create an email address, you can either use one that is included with your ISP (internet service provider) account or one of the free online services such as Yahoo, Gmail or Microsoft. You can sign up for one of these FREE accounts at any of the following links:

Select the CREATE AN ACCOUNT option at the bottom of the page. Fill in all of the required information on the next page. You do not have to fill in a phone number or current email address. Type in the verification text and be sure to select the box for agreement of Google Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Select NEXT STEP. Your new email account is now set up. Write down your new username and password so you will not forget it. Your username will be something like user@gmail.com with ‘user’ being the name you chose. To check your email on this account go back to the same link listed and select the SIGN IN option at the top right. Use the username and password you just created to sign in and view your account.

Select the option to SIGN UP NOW to create your account. Fill in all of the required information on the page that appears. Again, you do not have to fill in a phone number or alternate email address. Enter the security characters to verify you are not a robot and select CREATE ACCOUNT. Your new email account is now set up. Write down your new username and password so you will not forget it. Your username will be user@outlook.com with ‘user’ being the name you chose. To check your email on this account go back to the same link listed and select the SIGN IN option at the top right. Use the username and password you just created to sign in and view your account.

Select the CREATE NEW ACCOUNT box on the screen. The next page will require you to fill out your sign up information. As you select your username you will see a drop down of available options. You do not have to use them but be aware that the username you select may not be available. If it is not, you will see ‘this username is not available’ just below the box you are attempting to type in. Be sure to select a password you will be able to remember and meets the requirements given. You will be required to give your phone number, date of birth, gender and an optional recovery number. By selecting “CREATE ACCOUNT” you agree to the Yahoo Terms and Privacy. Your new email account is now set up. Write down your new username and password so you will not forget it. Your username will be something like user@yahoo.com with ‘user’ being the name you chose. To check your email on this account go back to the same link listed and select the SIGN IN option at the top right. Use the username and password you just created to sign in and view your account.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-05-01 09:49

How do I update my mailing address online?

First, make sure you are signed in at the betetrinvesting.org web site.

Once signed in, click Update Profile near the top of the page. On the page that comes up, scroll down until you see your address. Make any changes, and then click Save Changes once you are done.

Please allow up to 24 hours for address changes made through the web site to be reflected in our internal database.

Author: TreavaLast update: 2014-07-22 17:04

How do I cancel my membership?

If you wish to cancel your BetterInvesting membership, please take the following steps:

How do I access First Cut Archives?

Members can access the First Cut archives by clicking the Tools & Resources tab near the top of the BetterInvesting.org page, then the First Cut heading on the left hand side of the page. From here, the archives can be searched by sector, or alphabetically.

Alternately, members can click on the link below to go directly to the First Cut archives page:

While some webinars (What's new in Tools, and the SSGPlus Tutorial) are free for both members and non members, others are lower cost, or entirely free for members. If you are a BetterInvesting member, make sure you use the link for the members section of the web site to get the best deal on webinars.

Chapters & Volunteering

What are BetterInvesting chapters?

BetterInvesting provides support and education throughout the country by a network of local chapters. Chapters are operated by experienced member volunteers and offer a variety of programs, seminars, workshops and events for investors of all ages and experience levels.Many programs are available to the public; some require a modest fee to help defray costs, while others are free. To explore programs available from a local BetterInvesting chapter in your area, click here.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-24 20:32

How do I request a speaker for my event?

This entry is in revision and can not be displayed.

Author: Treava DildineLast update: 2016-06-21 14:45

Publications

What is BetterInvesting Magazine?

A publication included in all memberships, written by investing and financial experts for investors of all experience levels. It's also available for purchase as a one-, two- or three-year subscription (print format) as well as a digital format (BetterInvesting e-Magazine), and as an Apple app through iTunes and Android app through Google Play and Amazon.com. Access to the e-Magazine and the apps is included with membership.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-24 18:06

What is the BetterInvesting Magazine print archive?

A benefit of membership, this online, searchable database includes hundreds of articles from past issues of BetterInvesting Magazine and other sources organized by issue, author and column. The database includes issues published through September 2012. For issues published since September 2009, we suggest that members use the search functions of the e-Magazine or the Apple/Android apps.

Author: SuziLast update: 2013-07-24 18:08

How do I get the BetterInvesting Magazine App?

BetterInvesting is happy to offer mobile apps to their members for use with the iPhone, iPad or any Android device (except for the Kindle Fire, where the app is under development). Credentials to accessBetterInvesting Magazine using a mobile app are available to BetterInvesting members at no additional charge.

If you would like mobile access for your Apple iPhone or iPad you need to first make sure you have an Apple account created from a purchase in the Apple store or by opening an iTunes account. Android users will need to make sure they have successfully created a unique Gmail account for accessing these mobile apps as well. This unique ID, whether Apple or Android, is required to download your free app from the app store.

Please visit the following link for details, and to Register your BetterInvesting Magazine Logon Credentials for Mobile Devices.

How do I submit my club portfolio for Repair Shop in the BI magazine?

Make sure to include send a high-resolution digital image or print photo. Include members’ names, in order, including those not pictured. Send digital photos via CD or email them to janj@betterinvesting.org.

The writers choose whichever submission interests them so it is important to send that valuation statement! There's no guarantee a club will be selected but if they don't hear in six months or so, they can always choose to submit a story of their club for BI Family instead.

Online Stock Tools » CoreSSG

How are Earnings per Share calculated in this data?

The earnings that are used in the tools and stock data service are 'Diluted EPS from Continuing Operations'.

These are the earnings from the GAAP definition of continuing operations divided by the common shares outstanding adjusted for the assumed conversion of all potentially dilutive securities. Securities having a dilutive effect may include convertible debentures, warrants, options, and convertible preferred stock.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-05-02 10:47

How do I add a company study to my portfolio?

Similar to adding a new portfolio, adding a study to an existing portfolio starts by getting to the Portfolios and Studies tab. From anywhere in the online tools, click the Portfolios and Studies (My Studies) tab, just under the Home tab on the left hand side of the page. Next, click Portfolios just under the New Study button. This will show a list of all current portfolios.

To add a company study to one of these portfolios, click on the first icon ( Edit Portfolio) in the ‘Actions’ column to open the Edit Portfolio dialog box. This will show the Portfolio name, Account name (if you entered one) and Description in the top part of the box. The bottom part of the box will be where you type in the ticker symbol for the stock you want to add. As you start typing in a ticker symbol, the system will show a list of any tickers that come close to matching what you are typing in. Once the list has been narrowed down to show the study you want, click that entry; this will fill in the name of the study, and the date it was created. In the image below for example, there are three copies of Bed,Bath&Beyond in the available studies.

Once you have clicked the stock you want, then fill in the number of shares, and click the check mark button to the right of the Shares box. If you only want to add one stock, then click Save, and the portfolio listing will update to include this new stock. If you want to add multiple stocks to the portfolio, simply repeat the steps from above of typing in the ticker symbol, selecting the SSG you want, and then clicking the check mark button to add them to the list. In the example below, clicking Save will close the Edit Portfolio window, and add all three stocks to the portfolio.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-10-17 15:00

Which product should I buy? CoreSSG, SSGPlus or Toolkit?

Each Stock Selection Guide (SSG) tool will produce the same results if the same user judgment is entered.

The CoreSSG product is an online, Web-based tool that presents the core concepts of the Stock Selection Guide methodology in an easy to use, step-by-step format for the beginning investor.

The SSGPlus product is an online, Web-based tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view for the more experienced user of the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

The Toolkit 6 product is a Windows desktop installed tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view of the Stock Selection Guide methodology. Toolkit 6 offers a few more features than SSGPlus.

You want to be able to access the tool online on your mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

Consider buying the SSGPlus* if:

You are already familiar with the Stock Selection Guide methodology (You have done a number of SSG's already).

You want to do a Stock Selection Guide using the two page form.

You want to see the additional data for visual analysis on the front page graph; book value, free cash flow per share, dividends, etc.

You understand the concept of the income statement and want to utilize the Preferred Procedure.

You want access to the additional quarterly data analysis.

You want additional stock ideas in the form of more screening and the Ticker Heat Map.

You are in an investment club that uses the PERT or diversification reports as part of your portfolio review.

You want additional educational classes to support making forecasts (judgments).

You want to be able to access the tool online on your mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

*The SSGPlus product includes access to the CoreSSG product as well.

Consider buying Toolkit 6 if:

You are already familiar with the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

You are comfortable only using your Windows PC to use the product. This product is not available online, through mobile devices or on a Mac.

You are in a club where your other club members are using Toolkit and you want to use the same tool.

You want to use a tool while not connected to the Internet.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-16 19:30

How do you add a comment to a stock on the Portfolios and Studies page?

To add a comment to a stock on the Portfolios and Studies Page you will first need to select the 'Edit' (pencil icon) for the stock you would like to leave a comment on. Second, a popup will show with an area for 'Comments'. Enter your comments and finally select 'Save'.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-07-01 12:44

How do I start a new portfolio?

The first step will be to get to the Portfolios and Studies tab. From anywhere in the online tools, click the Portfolios and Studies (My Studies) tab, just under the Home tab on the left hand side of the page.

Next, click Portfolios, just under the New Study button. By default, everyone using the online tools has two portfolios: All Studies, and Studies Not in a Portfolio. The first time you click on the Portfolios button, the screen will look something like this:

To Create a new portfolio, click the New Portfolio button, as pointed to above.

From the Window that comes up Enter the Name you would like to use for a Portfolio, the Account (This is not required, but can be helpful if your club has securities at one broker, and you have personal holdings at another), and any Description you would like. Click Save, and the new portfolio will be added to your list. In the example below, the portfolio Club Portfolio has been added.

Author: Edson GilmoreLast update: 2014-10-16 17:51

How do I export a study from CoreSSG or SSGPlus?

If you are not already using the CoreSSG or SSGPlus, then from the main BetterInvesting.org home page, click the 'My Studies' button, in the Online Tools section. From any CoreSSG or SSGplus page, click the ‘My Studies’ tab, on the left hand side of the page (second from the top). Click on the company you wish to export, and it will be displayed as an SSG. From the set of menus across the top of the Stock Study, click ‘Files’, and then Export SSG File, or Export ITK File. If you plan to use the file in Toolkit, we suggest to use the Export ITK File option.

At this point, most browsers will automatically begin downloading and saving the file to a preset location. If you are asked to choose a location, we suggest the Downloads folder. While most browsers will automatically save the file to a specific location, not all of them save to the same location, nor do they necessarily remind you where to find the downloaded file. For steps on finding downloaded files on your computer, we suggest the following article on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site:http://www.iclub.com/faq/index.php?solution_id=1186

Once the file is done downloading, you can usually select to automatically open the file, if you choose. If you plan to work on the file latter, or if you cannot get Toolkit to automatically open the file, we suggest the following article on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site, on manually importing files:http://www.iclub.com/faq/index.php?solution_id=1463

Author: Sean PulrangLast update: 2015-10-01 13:06

Importing .ITK files into the Online Tools

If you are not already using the CoreSSG or SSGPlus, then from the main BetterInvesting.org home page, click the My Studies button, in the Online Tools section.

From any CoreSSG or SSGplus page, click the My Studies tab, on the left hand side of the page (second from the top).

Under the Portfolios and Studies heading, click Import TK6 Study, and then Choose File on the window that opens up.

This will open a new window, showing a list of common locations and folders on the left, with the contents of the selected folder in the main part of the window. Use the list of locations on the left of the window to navigate to your .ITK file(s).

Keep in mind that studies cannot be copied directly from Toolkit. They must first be saved on to your computer, or other drive. If you have not already done so, we suggest to read over FAQ 1464 on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site, regarding the export of data files. The direct link to the page is:

The most common places you might have a file waiting are on the desktop, in your downloads folder, or in your Documents folder.

In this example, we’re looking on the desktop, and have clicked to select the ABMD stock study from 9/30/2015, prepared by ICLUB.

Double click the file, or click Open after selecting it, and you will return to the online tools page, which will now show the name of the file.

Click Import, and the file will be copied from your computer, into your All Studies portfolio

Author: Sean PulrangLast update: 2015-10-01 10:57

Online Stock Tools » SSGPlus

How are Earnings per Share calculated in this data?

The earnings that are used in the tools and stock data service are 'Diluted EPS from Continuing Operations'.

These are the earnings from the GAAP definition of continuing operations divided by the common shares outstanding adjusted for the assumed conversion of all potentially dilutive securities. Securities having a dilutive effect may include convertible debentures, warrants, options, and convertible preferred stock.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-05-02 10:47

How is the SSGPlus different from Toolkit?

There are a number of key differences at this time between the SSGPlus and Toolkit:

SSGPlus is an online app that is functional on PC’s, Mac’s, tablets and mobile devices. Toolkit 6 is built only for a Windows PC environment and requires installation on the computer itself.

The stock equity data is built into the SSGPlus app and price. Toolkit requires a separate data source at an additional price to automatically import equity data into the program.

SSGPlus includes displays of comparison data for your company’s peer companies. Toolkit does not have data for peer companies.

SSGPlus can display the judgments of other members of the community through the Member Sentiment listing. Toolkit does not have any link to bring in the judgment of others.

SSGPlus has the ability to screen the database of equities for likely candidates. Toolkit does not have any screening capabilities.

SSGPlus can provide current stock ideas through the Ticker Heat Map. Toolkit does not have any method to leverage community input.

SSGPlus and Toolkit both have a Portfolio Summary, PERT and Diversification reports. Toolkit has 3 additional portfolio reports; Trend, Offense and Defense.

Toolkit has a Challenge feature to compare a stock you believe should replace another stock in your portfolio to evaluate the potential consequences of the swap. SSGPlus does not yet have this feature.

SSGPlus has a more robust Stock Comparison Guide (SCG) which allows comparison to industry averages as well as the ability to save your SCG for future review and edits.

Each program will return identical SSG results if identical judgments are entered.

Where is the PERT-A (Quarterly Trend) graph?

The SSGPlus displays ten years of quarterly data for review and analysis on the Quarterly Data tab. This data is in the same format as the PERT-A report. The corresponding Quarterly Growth Trend graph was an enhancement released in April 2014 is available at the top of the Quarterly Data page.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-05-02 11:55

How do I enter my projections (judgments, forecasts, estimates) in the SSGPlus?

In general, everywhere you see a green entry box is a place to enter a projection. There are two green boxes (sales, earnings) on the ‘Analyze Growth and Quality’ page and three green boxes (high price, low price, payout ratio) on the ‘Valuation and Return’ page.

Author: SuziLast update: 2015-07-29 17:36

How do I add a company study to my portfolio?

Similar to adding a new portfolio, adding a study to an existing portfolio starts by getting to the Portfolios and Studies tab. From anywhere in the online tools, click the Portfolios and Studies (My Studies) tab, just under the Home tab on the left hand side of the page. Next, click Portfolios just under the New Study button. This will show a list of all current portfolios.

To add a company study to one of these portfolios, click on the first icon ( Edit Portfolio) in the ‘Actions’ column to open the Edit Portfolio dialog box. This will show the Portfolio name, Account name (if you entered one) and Description in the top part of the box. The bottom part of the box will be where you type in the ticker symbol for the stock you want to add. As you start typing in a ticker symbol, the system will show a list of any tickers that come close to matching what you are typing in. Once the list has been narrowed down to show the study you want, click that entry; this will fill in the name of the study, and the date it was created. In the image below for example, there are three copies of Bed,Bath&Beyond in the available studies.

Once you have clicked the stock you want, then fill in the number of shares, and click the check mark button to the right of the Shares box. If you only want to add one stock, then click Save, and the portfolio listing will update to include this new stock. If you want to add multiple stocks to the portfolio, simply repeat the steps from above of typing in the ticker symbol, selecting the SSG you want, and then clicking the check mark button to add them to the list. In the example below, clicking Save will close the Edit Portfolio window, and add all three stocks to the portfolio.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-10-17 15:00

Which product should I buy? CoreSSG, SSGPlus or Toolkit?

Each Stock Selection Guide (SSG) tool will produce the same results if the same user judgment is entered.

The CoreSSG product is an online, Web-based tool that presents the core concepts of the Stock Selection Guide methodology in an easy to use, step-by-step format for the beginning investor.

The SSGPlus product is an online, Web-based tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view for the more experienced user of the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

The Toolkit 6 product is a Windows desktop installed tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view of the Stock Selection Guide methodology. Toolkit 6 offers a few more features than SSGPlus.

You want to be able to access the tool online on your mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

Consider buying the SSGPlus* if:

You are already familiar with the Stock Selection Guide methodology (You have done a number of SSG's already).

You want to do a Stock Selection Guide using the two page form.

You want to see the additional data for visual analysis on the front page graph; book value, free cash flow per share, dividends, etc.

You understand the concept of the income statement and want to utilize the Preferred Procedure.

You want access to the additional quarterly data analysis.

You want additional stock ideas in the form of more screening and the Ticker Heat Map.

You are in an investment club that uses the PERT or diversification reports as part of your portfolio review.

You want additional educational classes to support making forecasts (judgments).

You want to be able to access the tool online on your mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

*The SSGPlus product includes access to the CoreSSG product as well.

Consider buying Toolkit 6 if:

You are already familiar with the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

You are comfortable only using your Windows PC to use the product. This product is not available online, through mobile devices or on a Mac.

You are in a club where your other club members are using Toolkit and you want to use the same tool.

You want to use a tool while not connected to the Internet.

Author: AdminLast update: 2016-06-16 19:30

I've paid my premium membership, How do I bypass the trial version of the online tools?

Once you have a paid membership, the online Tools are 'trial' in name only; having a paid membership automatically activates the full version of the online tools.

Author: Randy RoodyLast update: 2014-07-30 12:27

How do you add a comment to a stock on the Portfolios and Studies page?

To add a comment to a stock on the Portfolios and Studies Page you will first need to select the 'Edit' (pencil icon) for the stock you would like to leave a comment on. Second, a popup will show with an area for 'Comments'. Enter your comments and finally select 'Save'.

Author: Rebecca LohrLast update: 2014-07-01 12:44

How do I start a new portfolio?

The first step will be to get to the Portfolios and Studies tab. From anywhere in the online tools, click the Portfolios and Studies (My Studies) tab, just under the Home tab on the left hand side of the page.

Next, click Portfolios, just under the New Study button. By default, everyone using the online tools has two portfolios: All Studies, and Studies Not in a Portfolio. The first time you click on the Portfolios button, the screen will look something like this:

To Create a new portfolio, click the New Portfolio button, as pointed to above.

From the Window that comes up Enter the Name you would like to use for a Portfolio, the Account (This is not required, but can be helpful if your club has securities at one broker, and you have personal holdings at another), and any Description you would like. Click Save, and the new portfolio will be added to your list. In the example below, the portfolio Club Portfolio has been added.

Author: Edson GilmoreLast update: 2014-10-16 17:51

Why is there no mass update buttons so that I can update all prices and all data for every holding in my portfolios?

This entry is in revision and can not be displayed.

Author: KarenLast update: 2015-05-02 17:02

How can I automatically and easily update all prices and data for holdings in my portfolios by portfolio?

This entry is in revision and can not be displayed.

Author: KarenLast update: 2015-05-02 17:07

How do I export a study from CoreSSG or SSGPlus?

If you are not already using the CoreSSG or SSGPlus, then from the main BetterInvesting.org home page, click the 'My Studies' button, in the Online Tools section. From any CoreSSG or SSGplus page, click the ‘My Studies’ tab, on the left hand side of the page (second from the top). Click on the company you wish to export, and it will be displayed as an SSG. From the set of menus across the top of the Stock Study, click ‘Files’, and then Export SSG File, or Export ITK File. If you plan to use the file in Toolkit, we suggest to use the Export ITK File option.

At this point, most browsers will automatically begin downloading and saving the file to a preset location. If you are asked to choose a location, we suggest the Downloads folder. While most browsers will automatically save the file to a specific location, not all of them save to the same location, nor do they necessarily remind you where to find the downloaded file. For steps on finding downloaded files on your computer, we suggest the following article on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site:http://www.iclub.com/faq/index.php?solution_id=1186

Once the file is done downloading, you can usually select to automatically open the file, if you choose. If you plan to work on the file latter, or if you cannot get Toolkit to automatically open the file, we suggest the following article on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site, on manually importing files:http://www.iclub.com/faq/index.php?solution_id=1463

Author: Sean PulrangLast update: 2015-10-01 13:06

Importing .ITK files into the Online Tools

If you are not already using the CoreSSG or SSGPlus, then from the main BetterInvesting.org home page, click the My Studies button, in the Online Tools section.

From any CoreSSG or SSGplus page, click the My Studies tab, on the left hand side of the page (second from the top).

Under the Portfolios and Studies heading, click Import TK6 Study, and then Choose File on the window that opens up.

This will open a new window, showing a list of common locations and folders on the left, with the contents of the selected folder in the main part of the window. Use the list of locations on the left of the window to navigate to your .ITK file(s).

Keep in mind that studies cannot be copied directly from Toolkit. They must first be saved on to your computer, or other drive. If you have not already done so, we suggest to read over FAQ 1464 on the ICLUBcentral FAQ site, regarding the export of data files. The direct link to the page is:

The most common places you might have a file waiting are on the desktop, in your downloads folder, or in your Documents folder.

In this example, we’re looking on the desktop, and have clicked to select the ABMD stock study from 9/30/2015, prepared by ICLUB.

Double click the file, or click Open after selecting it, and you will return to the online tools page, which will now show the name of the file.

Click Import, and the file will be copied from your computer, into your All Studies portfolio

Author: Sean PulrangLast update: 2015-10-01 10:57

Online Stock Tools » Toolkit

How is the SSGPlus different from Toolkit?

There are a number of key differences at this time between the SSGPlus and Toolkit:

SSGPlus is an online app that is functional on PC’s, Mac’s, tablets and mobile devices. Toolkit 6 is built only for a Windows PC environment and requires installation on the computer itself.

The stock equity data is built into the SSGPlus app and price. Toolkit requires a separate data source at an additional price to automatically import equity data into the program.

SSGPlus includes displays of comparison data for your company’s peer companies. Toolkit does not have data for peer companies.

SSGPlus can display the judgments of other members of the community through the Member Sentiment listing. Toolkit does not have any link to bring in the judgment of others.

SSGPlus has the ability to screen the database of equities for likely candidates. Toolkit does not have any screening capabilities.

SSGPlus can provide current stock ideas through the Ticker Heat Map. Toolkit does not have any method to leverage community input.

SSGPlus and Toolkit both have a Portfolio Summary, PERT and Diversification reports. Toolkit has 3 additional portfolio reports; Trend, Offense and Defense.

Toolkit has a Challenge feature to compare a stock you believe should replace another stock in your portfolio to evaluate the potential consequences of the swap. SSGPlus does not yet have this feature.

SSGPlus has a more robust Stock Comparison Guide (SCG) which allows comparison to industry averages as well as the ability to save your SCG for future review and edits.

Each program will return identical SSG results if identical judgments are entered.

Will ICLUBcentral be developing an upgrade to Toolkit 6?

BetterInvesting and ICLUBcentral are directing their development resources to online, web-delivered applications versus desktop products to provide maximum accessibility and functionality for users on multiple devices and operating systems. Our strategy is geared towards delighting our customers who are using not only Windows products but also Mac, iOS and Android systems as well as tablet and smart phone users. Consistent with that strategy, it’s unlikely that the current Toolkit 6 product will undergo a major upgrade to a version 7 Windows desktop product.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-04-30 13:44

Will Toolkit 6 be discontinued?

At this time there are no current plans to discontinue Toolkit 6. As is typical in product development, BetterInvesting and ICLUBcentral reserve the right in the future to evaluate customer usage, costs to serve, industry and consumer trends in determining the optimum tools to serve the customer base and community.

Author: SuziLast update: 2014-04-30 13:46

Which product should I buy? CoreSSG, SSGPlus or Toolkit?

Each Stock Selection Guide (SSG) tool will produce the same results if the same user judgment is entered.

The CoreSSG product is an online, Web-based tool that presents the core concepts of the Stock Selection Guide methodology in an easy to use, step-by-step format for the beginning investor.

The SSGPlus product is an online, Web-based tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view for the more experienced user of the Stock Selection Guide methodology.

The Toolkit 6 product is a Windows desktop installed tool that uses a two-page, SSG form-based view of the Stock Selection Guide methodology. Toolkit 6 offers a few more features than SSGPlus.